Ranking Criteria:
Warranty (20%): Having a warranty on your solar energy system is a great way to have peace of mind that should something go wrong you are covered. Warranties can cover parts (think panels, inverters, wiring, etc.), workmanship (think how the parts were installed), or both. Companies that offer longer warranties that cover a wider range of components were given a higher score. To earn a perfect 10 a company must offer at minimum a 20+ year parts/equipment warranty and a 20+ year workmanship warranty.
Install Services (20%): While it is one of the first in-person interactions you will have with the solar company you choose to work with, the installation service is one of the most important because it dictates how your system will perform – as well as look aesthetically – in the future. While all companies offer some type of installation service not all are created equal. Companies that use in-house technicians; help with the paperwork for permitting, HOAs, taxes, etc.; have a track record of high quality installations; and offer quick turnaround times were given higher scores.
Customer Support (20%): There are two main components that were considered when scoring companies on their customer support: the monitoring capabilities the company offered and the ease with which customers could get in contact with the company when issues or questions arise. Companies that provide extensive monitoring solutions to customers – particularly those that offer web and app based solutions – were given higher scores. Similarly, companies that offer many channels for customers to get in contact with them as well as provide clear hours of operation were given higher scores.
Products Offered (25%): The solar industry is ever changing when it comes to the products that are available to customers, however, there are a standard set of products/purchase options that customers have become accustomed to seeing from companies. In order to score a perfect 10 companies had to offer all four of the standard purchase options: PPA (Power Purchase Agreement), Lease, Loan/Finance, and outright purchase as well as offer a battery backup/energy storage solution. Companies that only offered a subset of these product offerings received lower scores.
BBB Rating (15%): The BBB (Better Business Bureau) is an organization focused on promoting transparent and honest relationships between businesses and consumers. To help achieve this goal The BBB grades companies based on an extensive set of criteria. Companies that had better grades with The BB received higher scores.
Disclaimer: Rankings are based on information available on the company’s websites as well as third party sites (such as The BBB) at the time the data was collected (February 2018). Every effort was made to ensure the data portrayed here is accurate, but we are aware that information does change over time. If you are a representative of a company and feel that the data reflected in your company profile or ranking are inaccurate please contact us at [email protected]